Indian
Marriage Ceremonies & Weddings

Marriages
are made in heaven ! Indian marriages are many a times
"arranged", although that is changing dramatically. Is has
been said that two people marry not only themselves but two
families get married to each other. Therefore you will see that some
Indian parents still play a big role in finding a bride or a groom for
their children. With westernization influencing the eastern cultures
many age old practices are being forgotten. The " young and the
restless" are following new traditions and paths to find their
mates.

Yet
many in India still rely on their parents wisdom, foresight and
connections to find the right person for them. Besides family,
friends and neighbors many match making services, personals and now
internet personals provide opportunity for people to get
together.

Common
terms related to Indian Marriages

Kundli
- is a horoscope made when a child is born.

Pundit
- is a religious person who carries out the prayers for the
marriage ceremonies.

Mehndi
– a paste made out of dried and crushed Henna leaves and
applied on the hands and feet in a decorative manner. This is
also known and popularized here in the US as "temporary
tatoos".

Mehndi-wallis
– women who apply mehndi on a professional basis.

Saree
– a traditional outfit for women, which is a 6 feet long cloth
tied in a traditional manner around the waist and worn
with a figure-hugging blouse.

Puja
– ceremony or prayer.

Puja
samaan – religious items used for the ceremony.

Shlokas
– religious sayings.

Playing
in the background is the Shenai

The
sound of the shehnai is considered particularly auspicious.
For this reason it is found in temples and is an indispensable component
of almost any Indian wedding.

The tune you are
listening to is Raag Bhairavi played by none other than Ustaad Bismillah
Khan.

The shehnai
is a north Indian oboe. Although it is referred to as a double-reeded
instrument it is actually a quadruple-reed instrument. This
is because it has two upper reeds and two lower reeds. The
instrument has a wooden body with a brass bell. The reed is
attached to a brass tube which is wrapped in string. The shehnai
has eight holes.

Many marriages
are, still to this day, arranged within the religion and preferably in
the same community. Traditionally, either the boy’s parents or the
girl’s parents initiate the proposal. A ‘pundit’ matches the
proposed couple’s ‘kundlis’. After the ‘kundlis’ are
matched, both the families come to a mutual agreement and the girl and
boy are meet. The ‘pundit’ informs the families about the auspicious
days for the wedding ceremony.

The girl’s
family has a lot more to do for the wedding preparations. Also, most of
the wedding expenses are borne by the girl’s family.

There are a
number of ceremonies for an Indian wedding. The main functions are the
engagement, the ‘mehndi’ party, pre- dinner parties, the wedding and
the reception. Besides these functions, there are numerous small
functions like the boy’s family inviting specific close relatives from
the girl’s family over for lunch or dinner, vice versa, small specific
ceremonies relating to specific religions followed by either of the
families and close relatives inviting the wedding families over.

Indian weddings
are carried on with great pomp and grandeur. A marriage is perhaps the
most important social occasion for any family as for the individual.
More on weddings and traditions coming your way..........

Traditional
Hindu wedding ceremonies can last for days and involve much ritual in
Sanskrit which may be understood only by the priest conducting the
service.

Hindu
weddings are supposed to take place outside, on the earth, under a
canopy known as a mandap.

A
Hindu Wedding is not simply an exchange of vows and rings. It includes a
number of religious rites before and during the nuptials, which are
performed in the presence of family deities. These represent the
importance of the bond between a husband and wife. A Hindu marriage or
"Vivaha" is incomplete without the blessings of god.

The
Seven Holy Steps

Hindu
marriage ceremonies involve many elaborate rituals, one of the most
important being the "Saat Pheere" or 7 circles around the holy
fire. Also known as "SaptaPadi" - "Sapta" means
"seven" and "padi" means
"steps". This ritual involves the bride and
groom circumambulating around the sacred fire seven times while the
priest chants the holy mantras. With every step, the couple invokes the
Gods to shower their blessings on them.